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Review: First released back in 2006, Electronic's on-point 'best of' collection returns in expanded, double-disc form. So, alongside the original collection (CD1), with its mix of singles and cuts plucked from Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr's three collaborative albums, we're treated to a second disc packed with rarities, lesser-known remixes and largely forgotten B-sides. There are some genuine treats to be found, including a swathe of club-focused mixes that showcase the project's dance music roots. Highlights include 808 State's majestic, breakbeat-driven 12" mix of Neil Tennant collaboration 'Disappointed', the piano-rich "peak-time at the Hacienda" 'DNA Groove Mix' of 'Get The Message', Graeme Park and Mike Pickering's similarly superb 'Vocal Remix' of 'Getting Away With It', and 'Idiot Country 2', a rushing club workout remixed by Stereo MCs under their forgotten Ultimatum alias.

Review: British synth-pop supergroup Electronic consisted of Bernard Sumner of New Order, Johnny Marr of The Smiths, Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys and Karl Bartos of Kraftwerk. The combined clout of these names surely amounted to enough credit to patent the name "Electronic", which always to us felt partially like an attempt to become synonymous with the music genre itself (as if these guys weren't synonymous with it already). On Get The Message, a 2006 compilation named after the second single from their debut album, we hear a thorough checking of their contribution to the golden decade that is the 1990s, cycling chronologically through the group's greatest hits, as well as some extra rarities and tidbits for curious fans.

Review: Something classy and jazzy right now from the Rupture family as Rumbleton returns with a clutch of musical jungle explorations. Sitting somewhere between 4 Hero and Earl Grey, each cut rattles and sparkles with that cosmic, otherworldly feel. Tension and dynamics range vividly as 'Right Ingredients' unhurriedly sets the scene while 'Raw Deal' ups the energy with score-like momentum. Flip for a Good Looking adventure into the cosmos on 'Just A Dream' before 'Island Cream' wraps up proceedings with the heaviest, drum-focused track of the EP. Pure breakbeat funk with strong doses of jazz. Take a tumbleton for the Rumbleton.

Review: Sly & The Family Stone's Anthology is about as good as it gets for fans of funk and soul. It is a catchy compilation with infectious hooks as well as plenty of potent and powerful messages and it spans the entirety of thereat bands careers from their earliest mentions to their last great hits of the time. It was first released in 1981 and features such US Billboard chart-topping tunes such as 'Family Affair', 'Everyday People' and 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)'. The limited edition record comes on limited edition and numbered gatefold 180 gram audiophile pink vinyl.

Review: Crossing the pond, UK-based DJ and producer Dan Greenpeace teams back up with Diamond D, a legendary rapper and producer from New York. The result is 'Nowhere To Run To', a hard-hitter gangsta rap anthem espousing a "trust no-one" headspace - "keep the grass cut low so you can see the snakes" - against a heavy, scratchy, paranoid horrorcore instrumental. Whether or not the classic 1965 song by Martha Reeves was kept in mind, Diamond D's trademark flow glides over Greenpeace's boom-bap production just as effortlessly as Reeves' did back then, expressing similar sentiments of entrapment and fate.

Review: It's time to turn on, tune in and drop all over the shop as Low End Activist unleashes the deliciously titled 'Gossip Is The Devil's Radio' on ESP. A little deeper and more explorative than recent club-heavy dispatches he's been firing out lately, this EP takes us much deeper into his dubby, eerie psyche where cold, dystopian flavours and aesthetics rule the roost. Highlights include being pushed head first into abyssal frequencies on the likes of 'Good Question' and the industrial swagger of 'G.E.L'. Time to get activated.

Notes: Replacement Styli for 36-92F (N-92F) I Ellip Tip (Shure Type) Red

A popular replacement stylus. Individually packed in a plastic case. Made in Japan.

Colour: Red
Product Dimensions (mm): 11x20x10
Net weight (kg): 0.01

Review: Remastered release of Circus Underwater's 1984 self titled outing, including unreleased tracks taken from the original quarter inch tapes. Something of an unsung, DIY prog-electronic masterpiece, Circus Underwater now comes reissued with an insert, which retells the unique story of this oddball duo. An incredibly obscure LP and musical project first conceived under the aegis of Washington DC label Glass Wing, its two founding members are still unknown to us; all we know is that they are/were two friends who set off on a psychic quest - from the beatnik suburbs of their US capital city to the parallel hippie recesses of San Francisco - and produced this ambient prog jetsetter in the process.

Review: The already cult Chicago jazz label International Anthem is back with another essential long player, this time from Carlos Nino & Friends. NiNo like most artists on this label gigs often and plays live in Chicago to plenty of happy fans. Apparently they often ask if he is a shaman such are his magical musical skills. He calls his sound Energetic Space Music and it finds him getting the best out of his collaborators who whom he improvises without preconceived ideas of what might come out the other side. This superb album (I'm just) Chillin' captures some of the results and mixes up energetic drums equally indebted to jazz and electronic funk.

Review: Fresh from delivering an ultra-limited collaborative 12" alongside DJ Normal 4 on Warning, Jan Schulte brings his popular (but sporadic) Bufiman project to Comeme for the first time. Given his love of odd instrumentation, global rhythms and off-kilter electronics, it's a neat fit. With five tracks to savour, it's an undeniably expansive affair that sees Schulte flit between glassy-eyed, sci-fi seeped dancefloor deepness ('Neue Wellen'), mind-mangling electro weirdness ('Hard Timez (Lexus Or Justice)') and slipped, B-boy friendly post-hip-hop heaviness (the simply fantastic 'Ntndo Pitch'. Those looking for mind-altering house hypnotism should check the deeply psychedelic 'Hard Timez (Just Ice)', while 'Warmewellen' re-invents the EP's opening cut as a tactile, melody-rich space-age treat.

Review: Maceo Plex is best known for his Ellum Audio label but he also heads up Lone Romantic which explores a more heady and underground electro sound. And that's what we get here from Third Culture on his U Move EP. The title track opens with booming analogue kicks hitting hard beneath twisted talk box vocals and tripped-out melodies. 'Follow Me' then has fleshy bass darting about beneath fizzing synth work up top that will electrify any dance floor. Offering a third and final different look is 'I See You' which has an aloof of vocal amidst plenty of machine-made electro tension.

Review: The iconic duo of Havoc and Prodigy, better known as Mobb Deep, almost single (or doubled) handedly became the primary progenitive force in hardcore east-coast hip-hop in the early nineties. Their 1993 debut LP Juvenile Hell would, at the time, be a commercial failure eventually leading to their being dropped by their label, but the material has only grown exponentially in terms of both influence and relevance. This fresh 7" takes the album's lead single 'Peer Pressure', and switches the B-side from the original 92 pressings' LP closer 'Flavor for the Non Believes' out for the endlessly iconic banger 'Bitch Ass Nigga'. If you need your audio fidelity east-coast fix in a hurry and don't have the time to commit to a full spin of the LP, then this single has you covered.

Review: 'Most Wanted Hip-Hop' is exactly what it says on the tin, offering two high-quality versions of hard-to-find and poorly ripped 90s rap tracks from the golden era. Ronnie Frazzle himself is undertaking work of the utmost importance, restoring and maintaining a physical archive of musical greatness - this being the follow-up to the 2022 disc 'The Doom Sessions', featuring a mix of MF DOOM tracks. Side A is Citizen Kane's 1997 track 'Elements of Mind (Black Rain Remix)', which can't be streamed currently so you are forced to either have it in your collection or scour YouTube for a rip. Sampling their 1996 cut 'Black Rain', Erf's production on this is like butter on a slope for the Canadian duo to slide straight down with these effortless flows. Side B cuts a little deeper, a high-quality pressing of Big Squig's 1995 hit 'Keep it Going', a combination of a Tribe Called Quest interpolation and a 1971 organ jazz number by Isaac Hayes.

Review: Hailing from Kingston-Upon-Hull, The Black Delta Movement could be the most inspired psychedelic heavy blues rock band we've encountered for some time in the UK. "The album's a love letter to the band and all the emotions that come with it," explains Matt Burr, chief creative force behind both this album, Recovery Effects, and the outfit behind it. This time recruiting celebrated guitar slinger Barrie Cadogan, also known as the frontman in Little Barrie, he joins familiar faces in bassist Lewis Wharton and Tony Coote on drums, with legendary producer Malcolm Catto (The Heliocentrics) also stepping up. The result is intoxicating, it's gritty, it's weird and at times space-y, it feels like you've stepped into a dive bar at the right time to experience something raw, deep, hypnotic, but constantly evolving and engaging. A record that does what records should.

Review: Jonathan Wilson's new album Eat the Worm is, he says, a series of songs that have been made in reaction to the production work that he does. It finds him breaking free of any conservatism and taking chances on songs that have come together over the last two years in his own Fivestar Studios in Topanga Canyon, California. Plenty of experimentation can be heard throughout as he channels influences like Jack Nitzsche and Todd Rundgren into 12 beautiful folk and Americana fusions that find him reaching new heights and paying homage to the 60s folk revival of Greenwich Village.

Review: Hoavi (Kirill Vasin) lends his services to Ghost Zvuk to deliver a disordered series of IDM 'Phases', which are intentionally numbered incorrectly throughout the record, as if to suggest something got broken in transit. That being said, these are remarkable textural explorations for the synaptic and deep-thinking listener; 'Phase 10' is an incessant repeat ricochet, sounding like the internal workings of a plasmic ball bouncing around inside a supernatural lead pipe; 'Phase 5' is more beat-driven, with pressurised pink noise bursts sounding to escape the alloyed confines of a ritual dubbing chamber.

Review: MYOR hits a quarter of a century here with a delicious slice of deep house and garage from Chavinski. A-side jam 'Take U There' has an old school feel with the dark, humid bass drill gin down deep, but the r&b vocal is utterly fresh and contemporary, as are the pixelated synths which add texture and more heat to this heart-felt late-night roller. On the flip is another shady garage jam rooted in the OG sound with its dusty breakbeats and muffled but cavernous bass. Again the vocal is sweet as sugar, a lush r&b and new soul viber that brings real emotion.

Review: While it's been 13 years since the tragic passing of one of the greatest rock and metal vocalists of our time, the legacy left behind by Ronnie James Dio serves as unwavering testament to the man's aura, character and prowess, even up to his final recordings which make up this collector's box set. Featuring the final four albums recorded under his own name, all housed in a sideloading box with newly created art on five 180g coloured LPs (1996's Angry Machines on Halloween orange with black marble, 2000's Magica on transparent blood red and black smoke, 2002's Killing The Dragon on transparent yellow with black marble and 2004's Master Of The Moon on electric blue with milky clear marble, plus the rare Electra single on a cobalt blue 7", the epic collection coincides with the upcoming release of Dio: Dreamers Never Die; the first authorised career-spanning documentary centred around the iconic frontman.

Review: Introducing his own label OFNOT, acclaimed ambient artist KMRU presents an album which takes an inventive approach to the idea of environmental recordings. Having captured sounds from countless places encountered on his travels as an artist, he decided to explore the waveforms of these recordings and use them as a guide for his own synthesis. The source material is not present in the resulting album, but rather informs the movement of the sound, once again confirming KMRU's gift as a producer and offering a different way to think about sound and its relationship to place.

Notes: Collaboration with Yeffry Ruta Mare in graphic design and Los Laberintos in screen printing.
Drum Machine with sounds and rhythms of Cumbia Programmed on the Arduino platform and based on the Bleep Drum from Bleep Labs.

4 Sounds: Kick, Guiro, Cow Bell and Conga
2 with Pitch control (Cow Bell and Conga)
4 sequences of 32 steps each

You can record sequences in real time just by playing them.
Clock input to synchronize with other machines.
Tap Tempo

. Play: starts playing the sequence, if you press it again the sequence stops.
. Rec: start recording what you play, if you press it again, return to play mode
. Ctr + some pad: switch between the 4 available sequences
. Ctr + play: the sequence plays in reverse
. Play + rec: delete the sequence
. Ctrl + tap: puts the battery in sync mode, receives the pulse through sync conector
. Tap: tap tempo

Power (power) You can power the Hanan Cumbia through a micro USB cable and a charger or with a 9-volt power supply (negative tip), the same used for effects pedals.

The project is based on the Bleeplabs Bleep Drum. Hanan Cumbia uses the same Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license.

Review: It has been five long decades since the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving episode first hit US TV screens. Originally aired in 1973, the show proved beyond any doubt that Peanuts was the coolest and most sophisticated cartoon of the day, and that's in no small part down to the original scores, which were the responsibility of Vince Guaraldi, and all of which are worth picking up if you see copies on sale.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving has never been available on record before, having only recently been rediscovered in the vaults and then primed for this autumn 2023 debut. Remixed and remastered to elevate some of the details that had been lost in the old recordings, tracks run between lounge jazz and soul funk, with 'Little Birdie' arguably the pick of the lot (and not just because it stands out with those iconic vocals).

Review: Ice-T's latest compilation album, coming to vinyl LP, homes in on an interesting cornerstone of the rapper's towering career; his "story rhymes", i.e. the ones that tell stories or build an especially compelling narrative. Beginning with some of T's earliest singles such as '6 N The Mornin'' to latter-day highlights like 'Midnight', all of these tracks serve to fluff the mythos of Ice-T, playing on the well-cited trope of rappers playing up to exaggerated hyperbole; in the words of Ice-T, "the reason it's titled The Legend of Ice-T is because a lot of things people believe about me are legend. Legend is part false... A lot of this stuff that people believe about me are lyrics that aren't necessarily true, but we'll let the legend continue.

Review: Jackpot's revisit to The Meters' early days continues with this limited blue vinyl pressing of their third album, Struttin'. Not even waiting a year after their second album Look A Py Py, the New Orleans funk pioneers knew they were onto a good thing and hopped straight back to the studio to lay down another 12 loose and limber joints which helped shape out the sound of the Bayou. The likes of 'Chicken Strut' and 'Hand Clapping Song' make a strong case for the shape of music that was yet to come, soon to be remoulded in a tidal wave of hip-hop sampling, but still so def in its original, raw and rolling form.

Review: Once cited by several major music publications as one of the greatest trip-hop albums of all time, Smoke City's 'Flying Away' has nevertheless flown under the radar in the long term. It's still, however, the best among the British band's crop of works, and is still loved for its individuating blend of smoked-out trip-hop with samba and bossa nova influences, as well as a seductive multilingual toasting by the group's lead singer Nina Miranda, who vocalises to narrate the entire album.

Review: Ash Ra Tempel are something of a ground zero for the krautrock movement, and their 1971 debut album is the logical first step in exploring this profound, captivating world of sound. Made up an alarmingly youthful Manuel Gottsching, Klaus Schulze and Hartmut Enke, and recorded by the legendary Conny Plank, it's an expansive two-pronged excursion which takes psychedelic rock and plunges it into the possibilities of early electronic music with mesmerising results. This 50th anniversary edition has been put together with due care and attention by Gottsching's label MG Art, and it comes with additional posters, inlays and the informative manifesto of the band as written by Gottsching all those years ago.

Review: Modern Talking, the German duo of Dieter Bohlen and Thomas Anders had plenty of big disco hits back in the 80s and now much of their catalogue is being revisited and reissued. Next up is Alone from 1999 which was their eighth studio album and one that features the big standout hits 'You Are Not Alone' and 'Sexy, Sexy Lover.' The album was a chart success in Germany at the time and sold over half a million units so was eventually certified platinum by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie. It is full of camp and Euro-centric disco sounds with old school synths front and centre and plenty of fun vocal hooks.

Review: It is not often that Detroit pin up Kyle Hall steps away from his own label - or one of those in the 313 area code - but even when he does the quality levels remain high. Here he arrives on Apnea in Spain with a searing new outing that combines his signature house and techno sound into emotive club music. 'The Cosmic Touch' is a busy, punchy track with high speed beats and twisted cosmic synths while 'Colbalt' is an intense brew made from more fizzing lines, electrically charged motifs and unrelenting but flappy techno drums. 'Phantom' is another interesting concoction with warped bass and twisted percussive lines all tightly woven together into something unique

Review: Suburban Architecture is a project from Chris Read and James Curry which seeks to explore the expressive potential of drum & bass as a vessel for soulful musicality and rolling pressure alike. Carrying the torch from atmospheric d&b and the approachable tones of the Hospital Records crew, their latest 10" finds them turning to veritable legends for remixes which cement the angle they're exploring. Blame is up first, reworking 'Visions '96' in his own mould of melancholy, heart-rending composition strapped to the crispest of beats. 'Future Jazz '95' finds DJ Trace taking up the mantle and serving another masterclass in mellow, introspective d&b as pliable for the dancefloor as it is suited to home-listening reveries.

Review: The Mighty Cavaliers was a flagship project for legendary Kenyan musician Daudi Kabaka, although the band only released two albums between 1976 and 1977. The second of these, Mapendo has long been overdue a reissue and now it's finally in reach for a wider audience. If you appreciate the approach to funk adopted in Kenya around this time, this album is nothing short of essential. You might draw parallels with Fela Kuti's ground-breaking Afrobeat sound in Nigeria from the same era, but there's a sharper attack to the grooves Kabaka lays down, not least on the likes of 'Mambo Bado'.

Review: Rapper and producer Elucid drops his much anticipated debut album here and it is one that will surely see him shun the title of 'New York's best kept secret' such will be its appeal to hip-hop heads. It sees him enter a new chapter and work with the likes of Psychic Twin and Billy Woods with additional production by Willie Green, A.M. Breakups, Messiah Musik and more. The style ranges from contemporary to classic boom bap and plenty in between - his bars are tight and storytelling and the moods are often dark but soulful. Also included are instrumental versions of all the tracks.

Review: You can always count on Egon's Now-Again label to bring the finest curios from music's hidden history into the reach of the record buying public. On this occasion they're looking to the work of Jamaican legend Boris Gardiner, a singer, bassist and guitarist with a long and winding history through the beating heart of reggae culture. Ultra Super Dub is the rarest of rare dub treasures, pulled from Gardiner's prolific mid 70s era and originally issued by a Miami-based label in an incredibly short run. On it, you can expect to hear superlative, skeletal versions of classics from Otis Redding, Jimmy 'Bo' Horne and many more. Of course, the sonic treatment is top-notch on this reissue, and there's in-depth writing from Jeff Mao to take you into the world these versions came from. This is how a reissue should be done.

Review: There is a great backstory to this new one on Blue Hour: when Stockholm producer, DJ and promoter Maya Lourenco aka Parallax Deep was digging for music in the local Snickers Record store, she found two classic goa and psy trance tracks that particularly interested her. As such she snapped them up, took them home and began to work on her own distinctive edits of them, rearranging sections, cutting up bits and adding extra details while never getting too far away from the essence of the originals. Her edits of those two originals - 'Gobi Desert' by 100th Monkey & Tristan from 1995 - and 2000's 'Bunker' by Four Carry Nuts - are pressed up here and both sound brilliant.

Review: The Chills' 1987 debut Brave Words sees a double-LP remaster, including a disc of unheard extras. Renowned as totemic purveyors of New Zealand's finest jangle pop, The Chills retained a large cult following in their homeland of Dunedin - not least as some of the earliest proponents of what was then known as the Dunedin sound, which later went on to influence some of indie rock's best-known stars including R.E.M., Yo La Tengo and Pavement and going on to contribute to the formation of the indie rock genre as a whole. Brave Worlds brings jubilant cynicism to the sound, deliberating on the contradictions of modern life, while building on the sonic palette already laid down over their various EPs and live shows. Remixed and remastered under the supervision of Martin Phillipps, this special release will feature brand new and reimagined artwork by Martin.

Notes: Professional mobile digital recorder for perfect shots "on the road"

Recording your own concert or conference call, recording professional sound during interviews or preserving the ambient sounds of your favourite place: the application examples of handheld recorders are extremely versatile and have absolute justification even in the age of high-end smartphones.

The user interface of the Mobile Digital Recorder is optimized for simple and fast operation. The main functions such as recording, playback, cancelling, noise suppression, sound split. In addition to recording with the internal microphone, an external microphone (not included) can also be used.

Recordings can be made in mono or 2-track stereo at 32Kbps, 64Kbps, 128Kbps, 192Kbps, 512Kbps, 768Kbps, 1024Kbps and 1536Kbps, with 512kbps as the default. The user has an Auto Gain function and eight effect preset modes at his disposal, including rock, funk, hip hop and jazz.

The clear folder structure and an encryption function for the recordings make the management of your own recordings clear and secure. The Mobile Digital Recorder can be operated via the integrated lithium-ion battery or directly USB bus-powered.

The internal storage capacity is 8 GB. In addition, flash cards are supported.

Properties:

Mobile digital recorder with metal housing
Recording formats: MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, APE, MPC, AIFF, FLAC
8GB internal memory + MicroSD card slot
Dynamic noise cancellation ensures high-quality recordings
Up to 580 hours of recording time
Supports line-in recording (phone, smartphone calls, etc.)
Voice
Automatic storage when the battery is low
A-B loop points, real-time monitoring
Two microphone capsules - also suitable for recording over longer distances
1.8" TFT colour display
Intelligent folder structure
Rechargeable lithium polymer battery
Battery life: up to 10 hours
Incl. USB connection cable and lavalier microphone

Review: Echoes of Glory serves up a second helping with the assistance of Hardway Brothers and Masonic Noodles aka Sean Johnston and label founder Grant Dell. 'Escape On The Midnight Express' gets two tidy tech house versions with distinct flavours which should appeal to those who like their 4/4 grooves tripped-out and headsy. The Hardway Bros version is a pneumatic, boxy workout swathed in dub and rolling slow and steady for the warm-up crowd, while Dell's Masonic Noodles interpretation takes a sparser approach sprinkled with mystical synth motifs to send a chill through the dance.

Notes: ***B-STOCK: Box opened, but product is in excellent condition and in perfect working order***


Classic closed-back headphones in a low-impedance version designed to play nicely with outputs on phones, laptops and interfaces. One of the best all-round options for production.

Supplier's notes:
The Beyerdynamic DT 770 Headphones 80 Ohm are closed back dynamic headphones that use the same comfortable, sound isolating design as the 250 Ohm studio version, but with a lower resistance for general purpose and mobile applications. Because of the lower resistance, the DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm headphones are louder and work on low power devices such as smart phones, MP3 player, laptops and bus powered interfaces. Therefore, if you are working in a loud environment or using a battery operated device, the Beyerdynamic DT 770Pro 80 Ohm headphones make the perfect choice of headphone.

When out and about, you really need to block as much ambient noise out as possible and a lot of headphones do this by clamping the ear-pads as tightly to your ears as possible and using materials that absorb a lot of sound. This produces two unwanted issues; discomfort, after prolonged use; and a loss of audio quality as sound being generated by the driver is absorbed by the cup. The DT 700 Pro series avoids this by using a clever bass reflex system and a large circumaural cup design with velour pads. Of course the real technology is in the transducer itself, which produces a nominal frequency response of 5Hz to 35kHz and a nominal SPL of 96dB, an exceptional performance.

Review: Tatsuya Nakamura's Locus has never before been reissued despite the fact that it has long been regarded as something of a classic. It originally landed in 1984 and is a masterclass in the J-jazz world thanks to Nakamura's next level skills on the drums. The record takes in a myriad of styles from percussive samba to futuristic ambient for late night meditation. Next Nakamura on this record are Kazumasa Akiyama on guitar, bass player Hideto Kanai and top trumpet man Shinobu Fujimoto, all of whom are exceptional musicians which really shines thorough in the music.

Review: Long before the 13 record was even considered, it took many a false start to get Ozzy back with Black Sabbath for a proper reunion tour, which began somewhat in earnest with their two hometown shows on 4th and 5th December 1997. These performances were captured for the now iconic, aptly titled live album Reunion. Marking the first official release with the original line up since 1978's Never Say Die! and garnering the band their first ever Grammy Award in 2000 for the live rendition of 'Iron Man' taken from this collection, the work is a flawless compilation of greatest hits and fan favourite deep cuts, performed with a veteran's vigor.

Review: DJ Ryow aka Smooth Current is a Japanese DJ and producer known for his hip-hop and r&b remixes. 'Re:Strain Of Stairs', as the title suggests, reinterprets the song 'Strain Of Stairs' by Japanese rock band The Pillows on the A-side, bringing a loose-hipped drum workout to the ordeal. On the B, meanwhile, Ryow goes all out on a new original featuring Kim Hill, 'Ain't Even Like Me', a song which first debuted online a least four years ago - it's an impressively-made production in contemporary r&b, with exquisite harmonies from Hill.

Review: Cold Busted ventures into downtempo and Balearic territory here with Vanilla offering up a limited but 7" full of hazy and lo-fi beat sketches that make you ache for a sun lounger and a warm day. The gentle beats of 'Pointbreak' are offset by wonky and detuned chords that bring a sense of irreverence and 'Surfin' Summer' then casts you adrift on nice lazy sax motifs. 'Remember' keeps the grooves slow and low and 'Breeze' shuts down with another cathartic and open-skied sonic excursion. A perfect accompaniment to some mental escapism, then.

Review: Given that he cut his teeth as a DJ and producer in San Francisco during the early 90s, DJ Spun is in a perfect position to educate us on the city's breakbeat-driven 'rave' sound - a hybrid and hyper-local affair that blended the Bay Area's psychedelic sounds and loved-up ethos with elements of acid, hip-hop, hip-house, deep house and British breakbeat hardcore. The Beat By DJ Spun Volume 1 does a great job of highlighting largely lesser-known, breakbeat-powered cuts produced in the city between 1988 and '94. For proof, check out the dreamy, mid-tempo wonder of Single Cell Orchestra's 'Transmit Liberation', the funk-fuelled hedonism of Triple M's 'Prisoner of Passion (Funky Dub Mix)', the deep and dubby breaks of 'Based (Not So Free Mix)' by DJ Emma, and the sparse-and-squelchy post hip-house shuffle of Spins Inc's 'The New Frontier'.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record has light surface marks/scratches, otherwise in excellent working condition***


Massimo Beradi has decided to delve into his vaults and offer up two previously unreleased versions of his 1996 anthem 'U Save Me' - or to be more accurate, two alternate passes of Andrea Torre's deep and dreamy 'Undertour Sensation Mix', which joined the dots between organ-rich US deep house, acid and the twinkling, piano-rich sound of early 90s Italian deep house. The A-side 'Calipso intro' variation boasts squelchier and more intense acid lines, tougher beats and - as the title suggests - far more extensive piano solos of the sort associated with Keys and Tronics Ensemble's brilliant 'Calypso of House' record. The flip-side 'Noteta' alternative mix swims in similar sonic pastures, though the presence of a couple of spine-tingling breakdowns and additional drum machine wizardry gives the track a more energetic, peak-time ready feel.

Review: Iron Mountain continue to pick unexpected narrative threads from the vast canyons of country music history with this natural companion to their acclaimed Hillbillies In Hell series. The over-arching theme is one of Nashville television from the mid-50s to the mid-70s, when country music was dominating on every channel and you could veer from Porter Wagoner's surreal hick styles to Dolly Parton depicting the grim experience of an asylum, all cast in that distinctive country twang. This collection draws on some treasured legends and cult figures alike, all singing strange and sinister tales from the curious corners of Nashville's's proudest export.

Notes: This long-awaited FM voice module from Jomox is a self-contained synth in Eurorack format, patchable and compatible with other modules but capable of creating eight-voice polyphonic patches all on its own. Vastly powerful.

Supplier's Notes:
The Mod FM is a completely self-contained 8 voice FM synth in eurorack format, which can create powerful sounds out of the box without lacking the commonly provided CV modulation possibilities.

It provides 4 Operators and 2 LFOs/VCOs per voice. Additionally it has 2 analogue filters and analogue VCAs per voice which apply analogue warmth and depth to the Mod FM, although the FM engine is digital of course.

Each voice has own CV/Gate inputs and an individual output. There is a mix output which separates even and odd voices. Here you can mix internal effects like delay and reverb to the stereo output signal.

Next to the CV/Gate control, the Mod FM has Midi in and out in TRS type A format and a USB C connector which handles Midi too.

Even without diving too much into complicated modular setups you can create extremely good sounding and metallic FM sounds, snappy bases but also soft and deep sounding analogue style sounds.

Furthermore, the Mod FM offers a variety of external cv modulations in order to e.g. modulate each operator individually or control the FM envelopes.

The Mod FM is fully multitimbral, i.e. each voice can play an own sound in Multi Mode which gets stored as a complete multi set (not only vectorized). That is, you can copy a single sound to the desired multi, but editings made on that particular multi get stored along with the multi set.

Hence, we have the biggest advantage of the hybrid approach:

Modular is great but can be very complex, and you might be trapped in a system where you never reach again the desired sound of the latest session. Storability certainly helps.

The different sections in more detail:

Matrix FM:

4 operators are arranged in a matrix, in which every operator (= sine oscillator) can be modulated by each one of the other three.

The 16 endless potentiometers of the matrix adjust the modulation amount (FM amt) and the base frequency of the operators.

For each operator you can change the base frequency by the diagonal knobs.

There are several overtone modes that determine if one operator is controlled by the keynote (or CV) = base operator, or if it's locked in as overtone (= overtone operator) to the assigned base operator. For the base operator, the number resembles xxx semitones added to the keynote.

For the overtone operator, the adjusted number is the xxx = Nth overtone or harmonics to the base operator frequency.

The locked overtone operator tracks the base operator and is still able to modulate and being modulated.

Each operator has an ADSR envelope. This envelope can also be used to frequency-modulate the operator.

Algorithm:

The algorithms from the known FM synthesis are actually special cases to the whole matrix.

Because it gets pretty quickly uncontrollable if you turn all the knobs because of the feedbacks, Jomox have decided to implement the algorithms. There are 26 algorithms, that are derived from the DX9 with its 4 operators.

At this menu it's even possible to change the frequency mode of each operator to a fixed frequency that is edited in single Hz and which does not follow the keynote, but only modulation. That makes sense for e.g. percussive sounds.

LFO/VCO:

Each voice has 2 LFOs which can modulate either the frequency (FM) or the amplitude (AM) of an operator. Every LFO addresses 64 different wave forms that are displayed in the right OLED display.

There is another feature: each LFO can be switched into a VCO that covers the whole audio range. You can even mix it into the signal chain and it tracks to the keynote. The former LFO rate parameter turns into a detune parameter. That is, you can create classic sounding rectangle/sawtooth analogue basses or string pads - and much more of course.

Filter:

Each voice contains an analogue filter which is build up with the chip SSI2140 from Sound Semiconductor, which is an improved modern version of the old SSM2040, designed by Dave Rossum, and which had been used in Oberheim synths and the early SCI Prophet-5.

The filter has a classic 24dB output and a 12dB state-variable multimode-filter. The three basic characteristic outputs LP/BP/HP can be cross-faded continuously with one parameter called shape.

Both filter outputs 24dB/12dB can be mixed independently.

The ADSR for the filter is fast and cuts in very quick and directly, the resonance is well adjustable.

The filter section contains an own LFO for the cutoff which is independent from the digital sound engine and has also 64 waveforms.

The VCA is a fast transistor-VCA which is important for snappy sounds. The same transistor-VCA is used in all Jomox drum products. Therefore the ModFM can be used as a rich source for technoid drums and percussions of any kind.

Notes: Long-awaited update of Jomox's unique take on filtering, step sequencing and effects. Touchpad programming, CV control and deep MIDI integration make the MoonWind a powerful all-rounder.

Supplier's Notes:
Almost 12 years ago, Jomox brought out the first Moonwind. Now it's about time for an improved successor with OLED display, touch pad and more buttons for instant access.

Moonwind MkII is a true analogue stereo filter with built-in step sequencer, a fantastic sounding digital FX chip, two LFOs, VCA, two ADSR envelopes and envelope follower modulation.
Fixed CV in- and outputs and 6 assignable CVs make the Moonwind Mk II a versatile choice even in eurorack environment.

Everything is storable and controllable via Midi.

You can play the Moonwind Mk II like a synth by Midi notes and play melodies on the filters if they whistle in self-resonant mode.

The sequencer is able to control cutoff, Q and resonance per step and filter and thus turns the stereo filter with analogue fed back effects into a creative instrument of its own.

The editing of sequences can also be made via touchpad:

This makes the Moonwind Mk II an easy-to-use and awesome analogue sounding engine that is playable like a synth and can be seamlessly integrated into a DAW recording system

Specifications

Two real analogue low noise multimode filters
OTA technology *
Per filter Q (narrowness) and Resonance are separately adjustable **
Per filter the shapes lowpass, highpass, bandpass and notch are assignable
The filters are connectable among each other***
Per filter there is one LFO with 64 waveforms which controls the cutoff
Per filter there is envelope amount, the envelope is created from the audio with an analogue envelope follower
2 ADSR envelopes for filter and VCA that are triggered via Midi
Inputs are Hi-Z and can amplify guitar or bass signals directly
Touchpad for intuitive editing

2 CV outputs
3 fixed CV inputs
6 programmable CV inputs with amounts
Digital effects chip with 15 algorithms
Analog FX Feedback in order to create tape delays and wave guides
Three parameters per FX algorithm
The effects programs include chorus, flanger, tremolo, reverb, delay and some more exiting programs
Eight effects programs can be reloaded by OS update later on
Built-in noise generator with metallic noise and volume control
Sequencer can record Cutoff, Q and Res separately per step and filter
Maximum 64 steps per pattern
Maximum 32 steps per bar (then max. 2 bars), bars can be dynamically set according to the number of steps per bar
Clock divider can resolve max. 32th per bar
Record/undo function to record filter trails by the rotary knobs or touchpad
Direct Touchmode can record sequences with your fingertip
Sequencer and LFOs are midi clock synchronizeable
Midi notes control the cutoff of the filters, CCs the rest of parameters
Cutoff, Q and Resonance are made as classical potentiometers
Stable metal axis potentiometers and encoders with axle bearings
256x64 px LCD display
OS is updateable via Midi

Dimensions:

Width: 318mm
Depth: 180mm
Height front: 44mm
Height back: 72mm

Weight: 1.8kg

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Carlton & The Shoes were a Jamaican vocal group also known as The Manning Brothers. After debuting on Studio One in 1978, they followed up in 1982 with This Heart Of Mine, a now much sought-after slice of sweet, heavy lovers rock and roots for serious reggae diggers. Japanese label Overheat are doing the right thing and reissuing this absolute treasure of a record on the 40th anniversary of its release, letting smouldering joints like 'Never Give Your Heart Away' come back to life and charm a whole new audience.